When Tech Tries to Help

Technology is a wonderful thing. It can transform the way you work, make you insanely more productive, and enable even the smallest businesses to be truly global companies.

It can also be a major distraction.

How often do you find yourself checking on your devices even when you're in the middle of something else? And do you find yourself turning to your device for all the answers? Is it expected to entertain you and educate you, as well as enable to do your work? If you think you're becoming too dependent on technology, then here are some simple tips to disengage:

Answer phone calls and email only during specified hours. Tim Feriss of 4-Hour Wookweek fame absolutely believes in having set "office hours" when he answers emails and calls. Outside of that time, he doesn't touch either.

Leave your phone at the office or in the car during events and meetings. That way, you aren't tempted to check it.

You might also like to use a note book for handwritten notes. This can feel more concrete and be easier to look back on than digital notes for some people.

Instead of looking online for restaurant recommendations, or things to do over the weekend, talk to your colleagues. Someone will have their finger on the pulse of what's going on.